Author Archives: Candace Carter

Literature Review: Melissa Mendelson’s “Porcelain” Classically Thrilling

by Candace Carter on

Melissa Mendelson’s Porcelain, a horror novella in her upcoming Notebook Stories series, features Paige and Shelli, sisters spending a seemingly monotonous summer together with family in a middle-of-nowhere town. Troubled Paige and troublesome Shelli, exploring the few entertainment options this little Hicktown has to offer, happen upon an eerie antique store, and here begins the story’s classically frightening arc – a large ominous window hides the store’s angry shopkeeper and his angry, potentially possessed porcelain doll.

READ MORE.

Get to Know the Artist: The Hunts

by Candace Carter on

Gadfly presents Jenni Hunt, multi-instrumentalist and lead female singer for folk-pop band The Hunts. The Hunts recently released their debut EP, Life Was Simple, a sweetly simplistic work full of optimistic themes and sounds. Providing her unique perspective as a member of this all-sibling, mostly self-taught group, Jenni speaks on the band’s new beginning and bright future.

READ MORE.

Sleepy Kitty’s ‘Projection Room’ Awakens the Soul

by Candace Carter on

Gadfly recently sat down with Evan Sult, drummer for art-pop-rock duo Sleepy Kitty, to discuss the band’s latest album, Projection Room, which can be heard on Spotify. Sult, formerly a member of punky, alt-rock group Harvey Danger, brings unimaginable depth to the pair’s lives, music, and pasts with his insights on their music and future; both he and partner Paige Brubeck are truly remarkable, one-of-a-kind musicians, as is their latest LP, Projection Room, with it’s delightful mixture of edgy femininity and uplifting pop rhythms.

READ MORE.

Pop-Punk Fans Re-‘Joyce’ at New Enigmatic Album from Joyce Manor

by Candace Carter on

In their latest album, Never Hungover Again, alternative pop-punk band Joyce Manor sticks true to the simplicity and rhythm that have leveled them with artists like Weezer since the release of their self-titled full-length album in 2011. Teeming with emotion, this record is deep enough for listeners to dive into.

READ MORE.

#ThrowbackThursday: Julie Esposito Revives Old Hollywood

by Candace Carter on

Old Hollywood comes alive in the voice of Julie Esposito as she reinterprets a few of the film industry’s lesser-known gems. “I am too young to be old Hollywood,” she says, “but I guess I have always had an old soul.” The songs Esposito features in her 2007 self-produced album, Unsung Hollywood, include the whimsical and the romantic, some from as far back as the 1920s and 1930s. Indeed, an album standout, “Little Jazz Bird,” was written in 1923 and omitted from the 1947 film Lady Be Good. This track in particular embodies the benevolent cabaret-style of Prohibition era speakeasies and jazz clubs with lively horns, deep piano, and Esposito’s slightly sardonic tone.

One of the newest tracks Esposito croons called “What Can You Lose?” comes from Dick Tracy, a 1990 film crafted in the style of a 1930s detective drama.

READ MORE.

A Worldly Collection of Singles

by Candace Carter on

Berlin-based trance-pop group Das Flüff are gearing up for the release of their two latest singles, “One Cent Plus Postage” and “Shut the F*** Up,” on July 28th. Reminiscent of 1990s dark rock in atmosphere and the simultaneous experimental alternative movement in the roughness of their electro sounds, the trio’s deep, primal direction is wholly original. With direct lyrics that are untraditionally structured, frontwoman Dawn Lintern sings with her Madonna-esque voice in “One Cent Plus Postage” of how the group’s earlier album, Meditation and Violence, selling on eBay in the United States for only one cent.

READ MORE.

Deep Rock from Down Under – Tim Fontaine and Boroko

by Candace Carter on

Australian singer-songwriter Tim Fontaine saw a major transition of style and scenery in 2011 when he moved from Melbourne to New York City in committed pursuit of a music-making career. The addition of four other instrumentalists solidified Fontaine’s future as lead singer of Boroko, a project he says is “somewhere between a band and a solo project.”

READ MORE.

‘The Great Unknown’: What to Expect Next from Jukebox the Ghost

by Candace Carter on

Self-described piano pop group Jukebox the Ghost recently released a new single, “The Great Unknown,” in preparation for the release of their fourth full-length album this summer.  The album name has not yet been announced, but it’s sure to hold all the magic that has catapulted JTB to fame since the release of their debut album “Let Live and Let Ghosts” in 2008. “The Great Unknown” has a cohesive theme …continue…

A ‘Rey’ of Black Sunshine- Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence sends us on a dark journey

by Candace Carter on

Lana Del Rey stares moodily out of the cover of her latest album, Ultraviolence, similar to The Ramones’ classic Rocket to Russia album art. The cover and the album as a whole represent a throwback to vintage rock n’ roll; Del Rey traditionally romanticizes and mystifies old styles but the new, more vibrant direction was probably created by album producer and contributor Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. The two make an impeccable pair, mixing Del Rey’s sugary party-girl persona with Auerbach’s alternative, edgy musical background, but Del Rey’s usual talent is by no means obscured by his presence. She’s a little more distant, a little less enthusiastic, and a little more disillusioned with the world than on previous albums, creating an experience that isn’t just sad, but beautifully poignant.

READ MORE.

The Layman’s Holiday

by Candace Carter on

Happy Fourth of July, Readers!

I hope you’re all enjoying hot dogs and lemonade in bright blue backyard pools, or maybe you’re hanging out on the beach with your families and friends, ready to watch the sky light up with red, white, and blue fireworks. I’ll be enjoying a long, glamorous night of work at my local frozen-yogurt shop, so please drink a beer or two for me! As I have nothing to do but sit and imagine all the fun I’m missing tonight, I find myself wondering why this once highly revered and meaningful holiday has been reduced to a reputation of pretty, colored fire in the sky, beer brat hangovers, and repetitive country music.

READ MORE.